Top MeckDems executive resigns, alleging racism and hostility within the organization

What they're saying: Monifa Drayton, who was hired as the executive director in June, wrote in a letter to 27-year-old party chair Drew Kromer that the organization needs changes "to ensure that we never repeat the election outcome that we are experiencing."

• She told Axios on a call Thursday that there needs to be "a leadership that is more experienced (with) less nepotism" and prioritizes more outreach to all communities.
• "I don't want this to be ... a teardown of the Democratic Party," she said on the phone. "I'm a blueheart all the way through. It's just that I see the opportunity on how great the party could be, and that's what I hope that it gets to."

The big picture: The blue-dominant Charlotte area's been blamed for Democratic losses because turnout is historically low. However, with a surge of resources within the local party recently, many leaders believed this election would be different.

• MeckDems brought on its first paid staff in nearly a decade and fundraised more than $2 million, compared to $152,000 in 2020.
• And still, turnout was below 2020 numbers in Mecklenburg County. It was only 69% in Mecklenburg, compared to 73% statewide and 76% in Wake County.

In her letter to Kromer, Drayton called the Democratic Party work environment "hostile and unbearable."

• She wrote that she was forewarned about the organization's "alleged racism, discrimination, incompetence and manipulation" but joined at the encouragement of community members.
• "Within two weeks of employment the gross negligence of governance, accountability, spending controls, basic employment practices and subjugation to a persistent hostile environment was realized and became progressively worse each month which has been unconscionable and intolerable," she wrote.

• She says she was stripped of her responsibilities and relegated only to work with Black, brown and the LGBTQ communities. She called this "humiliating."
• "This was truly reminiscent to what was required of professional Black women during the Jim Crow era," she wrote.

The other side: MeckDems said in a statement it does not comment publicly on personnel matters.

• "What we can say is that our organization, like our fundamental party beliefs, remains steadfastly committed to the principles of a diverse workforce and opportunity for all people."

Catch up quick: Drayton chairs the Mecklenburg Alcoholic Beverage Control Board and recently served as interim chair of the Arts & Science Council. She's a career coach and leadership consultant at Drayton Leadership Group, LLC.

Kromer was selected to chair the local Democratic party in April 2023.

• His leadership has been credited with upping door-knocking and phone banking, flipping Huntersville's town board from red to blue, and even scoring a donation from former Bank of America CEO Hugh McColl, who usually gives to candidates, not to the party.

Yes, but: Drayton tells Axios there needs to be an equal investment in reaching all communities and promoting all candidates, such as Judge Carolyn Thompson. The Democrat North Carolina Court of Appeals candidate lost her seat on the appeals court to the Republican, Tom Murry.

• Drayton wrote in her letter she was a "barrier between the racism and disregard for minority communities."
• Drayton indicated that Kromer, "not to diminish his abilities," did not have the corporate experience to lead an executive director. She said she was surprised when she interviewed that an executive coach was mentioned for her and Kromer.
• "Sure enough, a month later, I'm like, 'I see why they said he needs an executive coach.' And I told him I was fine with getting an executive coach," she said. "But he refused to do it, even when I allotted money in the budget to do it, he put 'lol' next to it."

Read the full letter:

November 6, 2024

To: Drew Kromer, Chair

CC: Stephanie Collins Fremong, Charles Deloach, Connie Green Johnson, Greg Snyder, Johnelle Causwell, Rashaad Hamilton, Rob Hillman, John Kniffley.

Drew and Members of the Board,

Effective immediately, I am resigning from my position as the Executive Director with the Mecklenburg Democratic Party in which I have chosen to leave without delay. Prior to joining the team, I was forewarned of the alleged racism, discrimination, incompetence and manipulation but at the request of the community leaders, love for politics, my community and belief in early careerists I made the decision to move forward with accepting the position. Within two weeks of employment the gross negligence of governance, accountability, spending controls, basic employment practices and subjugation to a persistent hostile environment was realized and became progressively worse each month which has been unconscionable and intolerable. However, I kept my head down and kept working because the potential positive impact to my community was imperative and paramount. The false allegations and lies that were consistently made to create a negative portrayal of my performance and professionalism have had far- reaching, damaging consequences to my health and potentially future opportunities and my reputation.

The most humiliating of all was the retaliatory action to strip me from all Executive Director responsibilities, relegating me to only work with Black, Brown and the LGBTQ community. This was truly reminiscent to what was required of professional Black women during the Jim Crow era. Without my knowledge or justification, I received a screen shot from staff in which they were informed of an organizational restructure which all of my duties and direct reports were redirected to Julia Buckner who was a replacement for the former Field Organizer who resigned two months prior. Additionally, it was shared by multiple staff that they were instructed to not speak to me moving forward which was obvious while I was in the office, making the environment hostile and unbearable. This was done despite having a proven record of winning 100% of local campaigns that I managed and being a trusted voice in the political sector for many years.

However, determined to be successful, I am thankful to the philanthropist and community leader who ensured, three months after I started, that I received approximately $42,900 in September to quickly execute engagement events for the Black and Brown communities which included over 70 community and street team engagement activities. From the beginning of my time, I shared that it would be critical in this election to capture potential voters who were not included in the database due to voting record. Additionally, I was made aware by volunteers of the need to increase Direct Voter Connect in the crescent communities, so I assembled and led canvassing events focused solely in these areas although this was outside of my contractual duties. However, I was determined to be successful which included being a barrier between the racism and disregard for minority communities and this office. As a result, I was recognized for my efforts which allowed the opportunity to be interviewed by the radio station, appeared on television news interviews and a national commercial.

My hope for the future of the Mecklenburg County Democratic Party is that we will be intentional about inclusivity of people from all socioeconomic backgrounds, diversity, equity and belonging so that it is reflective of the residents in our county. We will be transparent, responsible with finances and give all candidates equal support and opportunity to run for an office. It is never the place of MCDP to make the determination of who is on the ballot. We will hire experienced staff with proven wins versus nepotism. Lastly, to mitigate future risks, it is imperative that MCDP select officers who are interested in supporting a healthy work environment and create a culture of accountability. These are all changes that will help to ensure that we never repeat the election outcome that we are experiencing,

Today I will join the other fellows and employees who left MCDP as a result of a hostile work environment, racism, discrimination or forced resignation. I will remain grateful for the experiences and appreciation of board members Rob Hillman for teaching me how to navigate necessary tools to create canvassing teams and Connie Green Johnson for consistently recognizing my efforts and successes.

To all of the elected officials, state leaders and community members, thank you for your support as I will continue to be unwavering in my commitment to the community, inclusivity and political engagement as it is now more important that ever before.

Sincerely,

Monifa D. Drayton, MPA